Broken Families
by Jayne Leigh
Summary: Jonathan is left injured when his apartment gets broken into. Eli worries about Jon, Jon worries about Shawn and Shawn worries it's all his fault but what if it's not just a simple break in. Chapter 3
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, this is a new fandom for me. I grew up watching Boy Meets World and only recently re-watched the whole series. I loved the whole Shawn/Turner relationship and wished there had been more of it but I guess that's what fanfics are for. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Review and let me know.**

 **Broken Families**

Eli Williams was trying to blend in with crowd in Chubbies', not wanting to get spotted by any of his students who wanted advice or a homework extension. He was just waiting on his and Jonathan's food order when he saw Shawn trying to sneak past him, using a menu to shield his face.

"You need a better disguise, Hunter…" Eli told him casually, leaning back against the counter.

Shawn lowered the menu. "Hey Mr. Williams, I didn't see you there…"

"Huh-uh." He replied. "What are you doing here? I thought after you broke curfew every night last week, Jonathan was only letting you out tonight to study at Matthews' house."

"You're not going to tell him are you?" Shawn asked. "Cos Haylee Murphy asked me to share a milkshake with her and how was I meant to say no to that?"

"Okay, here's what's going to happen…Either you come home with me now and you can tell Jon whatever you like about why you're not at the Matthews'…I can embarrass you by loudly dragging you out of here…" Eli offered. "Or you can stay here…"

"Yes, number three…" Shawn cut in.

"And I can tell Jon exactly where you are." He finished with a grin. "And then you can deal with him."

"Aw come on, Mr. Williams…"

"He's going to find out, Shawn…Cory or another student will let slip you were down here tonight and then he'll work out I would have probably seen you when I was picking up our dinner…" Eli stated. "I'm telling you, man, after the lecture he gave me about allowing you to watch that horror movie the other week, I'm not helping you get away with anything…"

Shawn sighed loudly. "Fine but I can at least say goodbye to Haylee?"

"Just make it quick…"

"And you'll get me a cheese burger and fries? Thanks!" Shawn flashed him a smile before turning and heading back over to his friends without waiting for an answer.

Eli shook his head slightly as he watched him rejoin a group at one of the booths.

"Jon better pay me back for this…" he muttered to himself before turning around to place Shawn's order.

The whole journey back to the apartment, Shawn had tried to convince Eli to talk to Jon about letting him hang out with his friends but Eli refused to get involved.

"Come on, you must understand how important it is for me to maintain my dating life…"

"Hunter, believe me when I say I don't care one bit about your dating life." Eli shot back as they rode in the elevator. "And anyway, I think you got off pretty lightly only being grounded for a week…Jon is even allowing you to go to your friend's house to study…he trusted you were being honest with him about that…"

"I know…" Shawn replied quietly, starting to feel guilty.

"Face it man, compare to the rules that some people would set for you, you got it pretty good with Jon." Eli added.

"Okay, I get it…" Shawn replied. "I'll stay in for the rest of the week and not have any fun at all."

"Good because trust me when I say it will make mine, yours and everyone else life easier…" Eli stated as they stepped off the elevator.

"So, you won't tell him I went out to meet Haylee?" Shawn asked but Eli wasn't listening to him anymore.

Not only was the door to Jonathan's apartment open, it looked like it had been forced open and when they got closer, he heard noises that sounded like people fighting from inside.

"Wait here!" Eli ordered Shawn, shoving the food into his arms.

"What?" Shawn looked surprised but followed anyway when he realized something was going on.

"Hey!" Eli exclaimed when he entered the apartment to see two masked men dressed in black, one holding a baseball bat that belonged to Shawn but before Eli could do anymore, the bat was dropped and the men shoved him and Shawn out the way as they ran out the door.

Shawn's back hit the wall behind him and Eli stumbled slightly but after steadying himself he went to follow the intruders. He cursed when he reached the hallway and saw that they were nowhere in sight. Realistically, he knew he wouldn't be able to catch them up and even if he did, it probably wouldn't end well for him.

"Eli! Quick!"

He spun around and ran back into the apartment at Shawn's call, worrying that there was someone else inside but was surprise to see the teenager was nowhere in sight.

"Shawn?"

"Here." Shawn appeared from behind the couch, helping Jon to stand.

"Oh man…" Eli rushed over to them and kicked himself for not thinking his best friend had been in the apartment.

"I'm okay…" Jon winced as he gripped onto the back of the couch with one hand while Shawn supported his other arm.

"Let's get you sat down…" Eli moved to the other side of him and guided him around the couch to sit down.

"What happened?" Shawn questioned. "Who were those guys? What did they want?"

"I don't know." Jon groaned as he sat down, his right arm moving to cradle his painful ribs. "I came out of my bedroom and they were just stood there."

"Well, I don't think they took too kindly to you being home…" Eli joked weakly as he looked at his friend.

He had a split lip, his right eye was already swelling and blood was running down the left side of his face from a large cut on his forehead. Eli guessed he probably had broken ribs from the way he was breathing and holding his side. His left arm also looked like it was at an odd angle and twice the size it should be.

"I didn't take too kindly to them being here, either." Jon shot back, laying his head back against the couch and closing his eyes.

Eli glanced at Shawn, who was staring at Jon with a mixture of concern and fear.

"Look, I'm going to go back to my apartment and call 911..." Eli told them; not wanting to touch anything in the apartment until the police arrived. "Jon, you'll be okay for a minute?"

"Yeah…" Jon forced himself to lift his head again to look at him. "It looks worse than it is…Just a few bruises."

"Huh-uh." Eli replied, not convinced. "Shawn, keep him awake, okay?"

"What?" Shawn snapped back to attention.

"I'm going to run back to my apartment to call 911…" Eli guessed Shawn hadn't been paying attention. "Stay here and don't let Jon go to sleep…I'll be right back."

"Yeah right, I can do that."

"And try not to touch anything." Eli said on his way out the door.

"Shawn? You okay?"

"You're the one with the head wound and busted ribs…"

"I'm fine…" Jon tried to sit up straight but his ribs protested too much.

"Yeah, sure you are…" Shawn replied sarcastically as he watched Jon screw his eyes shut in pain. "This is all my fault…"

Jon eyes snapped open. "How'd you figure that?"

"If I had been home like I was meant to have been then you wouldn't have been here alone…"

"Hey, I'm grateful you weren't here." Jon claimed. "They could have hurt you too…"

"Jon, they could have killed you!"

"But they didn't..."

"Hey, how's it going in here?" Eli returned; his arms filled with supplies. "Here, Hunter hold this against his eye."

Shawn caught the ice pack Eli tossed at him and pressed it against Jon's swollen eyes.

"Ow!" He complained, jerking his head back.

"Quit being a baby." Eli told him, holding out a bottle of water and some painkillers. "The police should be here soon… You're going to need to go to the hospital…that cut on your head will probably need stitches and someone should take a look at your ribs and arm but I'm guessing you wouldn't appreciate an ambulance.

"You guessed right…" Jon replied after swallowing the pills with a mouthful of water before taking a second ice pack and rested it on his wrist.

"Well, I also called the Matthews…" Eli added, glancing at Shawn. "I asked Mr. Matthews to come over to get you."

"Me?" Shawn glared at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Shawn, you can't stay here…" Jon told him. "Not tonight at least…"

"Yeah and by the time I've managed to drag him down to the emergency room and get him checked out, it's going to end up being a late night." Eli asked.

"Yeah but…" He started to protest but was interrupted by a knock on the door, startling them all.

"Look, just go back and hang out at the Matthews…If it's still early by the time we've got everything sorted then I'll come get you." Jon offered as Eli let two police officers in. "Deal?"

Shawn hesitated for a few seconds, he didn't want to leave Jon after what had happened but also didn't want to get in the way. "Yeah, okay…Deal."

"Mr. Turner?" The police officer approached him, note book open. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Uh, yeah but I don't how much help I'll be…" Jon stated. "I was in my bedroom when I heard a noise, I thought it was Eli or Shawn but when I came out there were two guys stood there… They just jumped me, I tried to fight back but one of them grabbed the bat…"

"Can you give us a description?"

Jon shrugged causing him to wince. "One was about my height; the other a little shorter…both of them dressed in all black and wearing ski masks covering their faces…"

"Did they take anything?"

Jon looked around but couldn't see anything missing… Even his wallet was still on the table by the door. "I don't know…I guess not…"

There was another knock on the door before they could ask any more questions.

"That's probably Alan." Jonathan said and then looked at the officers to explain. "He is a friend who Shawn is going to stay with tonight."

"I'll get it." Eli stepped over to the door again to see Alan Matthews on the other side. "Hey, thanks for coming so quickly."

"No problem at all…" Alan said as he stepped into the apartment and looked around. Eli hadn't given him much detail over the phone, he had said something about a robbery but apart from a few items that had been knocked on the floor, it didn't look like anything had happened. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"Jon was the only one here." Eli explained. "It seems that he interrupted them before they could take anything or do any real damage…He got a bit of a beating for it though."

"He doesn't look too good…" Alan replied in concerned, looking at Jon who was still talking to the police. "Did you call an ambulance?"

"He refused one but I'm going to take him down to the hospital once we're done here." Eli answered.

"And Shawn? He looks like he's going to throw up…"

"He's pretty shook up… The guys ran off when we arrived...I followed them out and Shawn was the one that noticed Jon on the floor." Eli replied with a shrug. "I don't think he's too impressed with having to leave and go with you."

"I'm sure he'll be alright once he's with Cory." Alan added then walked towards the couch when he saw the officers had finished talking with Jon and had started looking around the apartment. "Hey, guys..."

"Alan, thanks for coming over."

"Happy to help." He replied, placing a hand on Shawn's shoulder. "Guess you're staying with us tonight, hey."

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"Cory is out with Topanga but he should be back before dinner." Alan added. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, we brought some food back from Chubbies but didn't get chance to eat it…" Shawn replied.

"Hang on, Cory is out with Topanga? I thought you were with him studying…" Jonathan questioned. "And what were you doing at Chubbies?"

"I told you he'd find out…" Eli muttered to Shawn.

"Uh, it's a funny story…" Shawn laughed nervously.

"Oh I bet it is…" He raised an eyebrow.

"How about we deal with that later when you're not bleeding all over the place?" Eli suggested.

"Yeah, come on, Shawn." Alan patted the teenager's shoulder. "We should get going…"

Shawn nodded but didn't move to stand up, just looking at Jonathan in concern.

"Shawn, I'm going to be okay." Jon tried to reassure him. "Worse of it is a couple of broken ribs."

"Yeah, I know." This time he did get to his feet. "I'll speak to you later, yeah?"

"As soon as I've got everything sorted." He promised.

Shawn hesitated again before turning and walking towards the door.

"We'll look after him." Alan assured Jonathan.

"Thanks, Alan."

Once they had left the apartment, Jonathan allowed his head to fall back against the couch again with a groan.

Eli frowned in concern at him. "Man, you don't look good."

"Thanks, you really know how to make a guy feel better." Jonathan shot back without lifting his head or opening his eyes.

"Mr. Turner?" The police officer joined them again. "We just have a few more questions and then we'll let you get down to the hospital…"

"Okay, let's get this over with." He sighed.

 **TBC**

 **Please review and let know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, thanks for all the positive feedback. I'm glad there are people out there who still loving the Jon/Shawn relationship too. I hope you like this. Please keep reviewing.**

 **Broken Families**

Shawn followed Alan into the Matthews' house where a concerned looking Amy was waiting in the kitchen.

"Shawn? Are you okay?" Amy asked. "What happened?"

"I'm fine." Shawn shrugged. "Two guys were in the apartment when me and Eli got home…They ran out when they saw us."

"Did they do much damage?"

"Nope, they didn't even take anything…" Shawn claimed trying to sound like it wasn't a big deal.

"Jonathan interrupted them." Alan added. "Eli Williams is taking him down the hospital to get him checked out."

"Oh no…Is he hurt badly?"

Alan shrugged, not wanting to give too much detail of Jonathan's injuries in front of Shawn. He was quite concerned about the teenager, who had barely spoken a word since leaving the apartment.

"Well, dinner is almost ready." Amy took Alan's hint and changed the conversation. "Shawn, I hope you're hungry."

"Yeah, sure." Shawn replied although he felt sick to his stomach and the last thing he wanted to do was to eat.

"Well, take a seat and I'll get you a soda." Alan said, pushing Shawn towards the table as he made his way over to the fridge.

Shawn did as he was told and sat at the table while Amy followed Alan over to the fridge.

"So, what happened?" She whispered, glancing over at Shawn who seemed deep in thought and not paying them any attention. "Is Jonathan okay?"

"Well, I'm sure he will be but he's pretty beat up…"Alan told her and nodded his towards the table. "Apparently, Shawn was the one who found him on the floor after the robbers fled…We need to keep an eye on him, I think he's in shock."

Just then Cory strolled through the door and looked both surprised and happy to see his friend.

"Shawnie, what are you doing here?"

"Two goons broke into the apartment and Turner took a beating." He explained bluntly. "They didn't want me tagging along to the hospital so I'm just going to hang out here for a while."

Cory blinked in surprise. "Is he okay?"

"No but he keeps saying he is so…" Shawn shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.

"Why don't you guys go and get washed up?" Amy told him. "And tell Eric and Morgan dinner is ready too."

"Yeah, okay." Cory agreed, knowing it would give him chance to talk to Shawn alone.

When they reached the bedroom, Shawn threw himself face down on top of Cory's bed.

"So, what happened?" Cory questioned.

"I told you." Came Shawn's muffled replied.

"Hey, I'm trying to study here!" Eric glared at him. "You can't be barging in here…"

"Mom said dinner is ready…" Cory cut him off. "She made tatter-tots."

Eric scrambled to close his text book as he shot to his feet before fleeing the room.

"Shawn?"

He groaned and rolled onto his back to look up at his friend. "What do you want me to say? I got a ride home with Eli and when we got to the apartment two guys were inside and one was holding a baseball bat…They ran, Eli chased them and I noticed Jon on the floor."

Cory's forehead creased in concern. "Is he badly hurt?"

"He said it's just so busted ribs."

"Well, he went to the hospital, right?" Cory questioned. "They'll fix him up."

"Yeah, sure…" Shawn muttered.

"Hey guys," Alan appeared in the doorway. "Dinner is on the table."

"Right…Come on, Shawn."

"I'm not really hungry…"

"But…"

"Cor…" Alan cut his son off and when he looked over at him, he headed his head towards the door. "We'll meet you downstairs."

Cory looked between the two of them and nodded a little.

"Look, Mr. Matthews I appreciate your help and all but I really don't want to talk…" Shawn started as he got to his feet.

Alan held up his hands. "You don't have to talk to me."

"I don't?"

"Shawn, you're probably not going to admit it but what happened tonight is bound to have shaken you up a little." Alan told him. "I'm guessing you're in a bit of shock, so if you want to skip dinner and rest up here then that's fine."

"Really?"

"But there's one condition."

"What's that?"

"You stay here…No climbing out the window."

Shawn smirked a little. "Where would I go? I probably won't be allowed back into the apartment at the moment anyway."

"Jonathan said he would come right here once he's finished at the hospital." Alan reminded him, knowing given the chance the teenager would head there and not home.

"I know."

"So, make sure you're here when he does…" Alan stated and moved back over to the door. "Get some rest and we'll save you some dinner in case you're hungry later."

"Okay…"

"Do you need anything before I go?"

"No, I'm good…" Shawn told him but then called out once he reached the door "Mr. Matthews?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…"

"Anytime, Shawn." Alan replied. "Anytime."

 _ **XxXxX**_

It was almost 9:30pm by the time Jonathan and Eli reached the Matthews' house. Jon wanted nothing more than to go home, take some painkillers and sleep but he was worried about Shawn and how he was reacting to what happened.

He knocked on the back door and saw Amy and Alan sat at the table along with Feeny.

"Hey guys," He greeted, opening the door when he was waved inside by Alan. "I hope it's not too late."

"Of course not," Alan stood up along with George and Amy as the two men entered the house.

"How are you feeling?" George asked, sounding concerned. "What did the doctors say?"

"Well, I've felt better." Jon replied tiredly, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "But nothing too serious…"

"He's got a fractured arm, a couple broken ribs and a mild concussion is the worst of it." Eli supplied, knowing his friend wouldn't go into detail. "A couple of cuts needed stitching…the rest is just bruising."

"Yeah, thanks, man." Jon shot his friend a look before turning back to the others who were looking at him in more concern. "How's Shawn?"

"He's doing okay… We gave him a bit of space and eventually got him to eat some dinner." Amy told him, while Alan went to the bottom of the stairs and called up to Shawn. "I'm sure he'll be fine after a good night sleep."

Within seconds, they heard footsteps running down the stairs and Shawn appeared first, with Cory right behind him.

"Jon," Shawn couldn't help but smile a little. "Are you okay?"

"I won't be riding the bike for a few weeks," he replied, holding his casted arm. "But yeah, I'm okay."

"Do the police know who did this?" Cory questioned.

"They're looking into it but I don't know how much evidence they have to go on…I can't identify them and it doesn't look like they took anything." Jon shrugged and then winced in pain. "They wondered if someone I know was behind it but I can't think of anyone who would do this…"

"What about Harley Keiner?" Cory suggested.

"This isn't really Kenier's style, is it?" Eli questioned, sounding unconvinced.

"Nah, Kenier is just a school bully…" Turner dismissed it.

"But he was going to smash up your bike." Cory reminded him.

"When was this?" Feeny cut in. "Jonathan, you never mentioned this."

"It was nothing..." Jon claimed.

"It was an initiation for me…" Shawn admitted guilty. "I wanted to hang out with Harley and he told me I had to do it to show him I was serious."

"Shawn," Alan groaned in disapproval and then looked at his own son. "And you knew about this?"

"But he didn't do it." Cory told them.

"Come on, guys this was months ago, even before he came to live with me and Cory is right, Shawn didn't do it….He was going tough time." Jonathan explained. "I had everything under control, I can handle Harley Kenier…besides, he's not even school anymore.

"Even so, I should have been aware of this." George told him.

"And with Kenier being kicked out of school, maybe he did this as some kind of payback." Eli suggested.

"It wasn't Kenier." Jonathan insisted. "The guys were a lot bigger then him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I would have known if it was one of the students." Jon claimed. "It probably was just some random guys who weren't expecting me to be home…"

"Maybe we should leave it up to the police." Amy said. "It's already late tonight and we're not going to figure it out now."

"You're right," Jonathan agreed, quickly. "Shawn, will you be okay here tonight? I spoke to the landlord and he's going to get someone to repair the door tomorrow so it's probably not a good idea to stay there tonight."

"I'll be fine."

"You're not going to stay there are you?" Amy asked in concern. "We can make room here for you too…"

"Thank you but I'm going to stay with Eli." Jonathan assured her.

"I get the joy of waking him up every couple of hours because of the concussion." Eli added, unenthusiastically. "It's going to be a long night for the both of us."

"Well, if there is anything you need then you know where we are." Alan offered.

"Mr. Williams, I'll get someone to cover your classes tomorrow." George told him. "And Mr. Turner, I don't want to see you for the rest of the week."

"Thanks, George." Jon was grateful that he didn't have to worry about school for a few days. "Shawn, I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Call if you need anything…"

"Jon, come on, I'll be fine." Shawn flashed him a smile. "I'm just going to sleep, wake up and go to school….then you'll see me."

"Okay…" Jon gave a small nod but wasn't convinced that Shawn was fine. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow." He gave him another smile before turning and heading back up the stairs.

"I'm glad you're okay, Mr. Turner." Cory added before following his friend.

"We'll take care of him." Alan seemed to read Jonathan's mind.

"Thanks guys, I really do appreciate this."

"It's no trouble." Amy told him. "We're happy to help."

"Yeah, just try not to worry about him and just take care of yourself." Alan said.

When Cory reached his bedroom, he watched Shawn for a few seconds getting ready for bed.

"Are you really okay?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Why I wouldn't I be?" Shawn glanced back at him. "I mean, I was worried that Jon had been badly hurt but the doctors wouldn't let him home if he wasn't okay, right?"

"Right." Cory agreed.

"It sucks that someone broke into our apartment but nothing was taken or damaged, so there's that…"

"Shawn…" Cory cut in to stop his friend rambling.

He sighed and sat down on the bed. "What if it was Harley?"

"Mr. Turner said it wasn't…."

"But if it was him…If he was doing it for payback then it's my fault."

"You can't take the blame for this, Shawn and Mr. Turner wouldn't want you to either." Cory told him. "You can't control what other people do."

"But…"

"And besides, the first run in they had was when Mr. Turner saved me and Eric from Harley on our first day, remember?"

"Yeah…"

"So, if you're to blame, am I to?"

"Of course not…"

"And it probably wasn't even Harley; I mean no one has seen him since he got kicked out of school…" Cory claimed. "So, let's forget about feeling guilty… The police will find out who did this…Mr. Turner's arm will heal and everything will work out fine."

"You're probably right…"

"I know I am." Cory pulled back the covers on his bed and led down while Shawn did the same on the cot bed that had been made up for him.

"Good night, Cor."

"Night, Shawn."

 **TBC**

 **Please review and let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, thanks again for those who took the time to review and send PMs. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this. Please let me know if you do.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Broken Families**

Two and a half weeks passed and things had pretty much settled down. Most of Jonathan's bruising had faded, his ribs were still a little tender but were healing and most importantly, he only had another couple more weeks before he could get the cast on his left arm removed.

He had returned to work only after two days, wanting to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, mainly for Shawn benefit. The teenager didn't talk much about it but Jon knew the break in had affected him. For the past two weeks, he hadn't wanted to go out after school and instead insisted on staying in to help Jon, which just ended up driving them both crazy until last Friday night when Jon practically pushed him out the door along with Cory and Topanga, even giving them enough money to fund the a good night out.

"Hey…"

The voice behind him startled him out of his thoughts and he spun around from the blackboard to see Eli at the doorway to his classroom.

"I brought lunch…" Eli grinned at him and held up two brown bags. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you…"

"Nah, don't worry about it." Jon turned back to the board, to finish the sentence he had been writing. "I guess I was just too deep in thought…"

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"Nothing important."

"Jon, come on, how long have we've been friends? I know when there is something on your mind."

Jon sighed and moved to sit on the edge of the desk so he was facing his friend, who sat on a desk in the front row.

"Do you think Shawn is doing okay?"

Eli frowned a little. "Well, I guess he's been a little quieter since the break in but he'll bounce back…It was a shock for everyone."

"Yeah…I'm just worried about him…"

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"A few times…Do you know, he still thinks it's his fault?"

"The police ruled out Keiner, right?" Eli questioned.

"Yeah, when they interviewed Shawn about the break in, they had asked if he had any idea who would do this and he mentioned Harley." Jonathan didn't need for the police to investigate to know it wasn't the ex-student. "He's not even in town anymore."

"So, why is Shawn blaming himself?"

"That's what I can't figure out…Has he said anything to you?"

"No not since the night it happened when we were all at the Matthews'." Eli replied. "But it's not been that long since it's happened, it's going to take time for you both get past…I mean, you're still recovering so that's like a reminder."

"Yeah…I guess having to live where it happened isn't help either."

"Is that why you're looking at new places to live?"

"How do you know about that?" Jon asked, looking at him surprise.

"I went over to your apartment this morning to get some breakfast…Your phone rang and a realtor left a message."

"I knew you stole my food." He rolled his eyes.

"Jon…"

"I'm just looking into it, okay?" Jon shrugged. "Even before all this I was thinking that it might be better for us to be in a bigger place…"

"This is a big step." Eli told him and paused for a couple to second to make sure he picked the right words. "You know how much I think of Shawn and it's been great for the both of you, him staying with you…"

"But?" Jon predicted.

"But you're not his Dad, Jon…You have no legal rights." Eli reminded him. "What happens when his parents come back and you've gone and got yourself this house?"

"I've thought about all that…I know I cannot replace his Dad and I don't want but I do care about him." Jon replied. "I want Shawn to know he's always got a place to stay no matter what in the future...Even when and if he's back with his parents… I want him to have a place to go where he can be safe…"

"You don't think the apartment is safe?" Eli questioned.

"Well, it doesn't feel as safe as it did a few weeks ago…" Jon admitted. "I don't know, I just feel like now is a good time to move on."

Eli nodded a little. "Okay, whatever you want, man…You know I've always got your back."

Jon smiled. "Yeah, thanks…"

Eli watched as Jon returned to what he had been writing on the blackboard. He made a mental note to keep a closer on Shawn for the next couple of days and was hoping he was right when he said the teenager just needed some time to get over the shock. Jon was the one he was really concerned about though. He had noticed his friend seemed lost in thought more often and seemed on edge a lot of the time. Maybe moving out of the apartment might the best thing, especially if Jon didn't feel safe enough to relax there.

"So, are the police any closer to catching who did it?"

"Nah and I doubt they ever will…They didn't leave much evidence behind and they didn't take anything…They're still considering the option that someone I know is behind this."

"And you still think that it just some random guys?"

"Well, why would anyone I know want to break into my place? It's not like I have a lot of valuable stuff or make a lot of money?" Jon looked back at him. "And it didn't seem like it was something planned…"

"Why do you think that?" Eli frowned a little.

"Just the way they acted… It was like they didn't know what they were doing." Jon explained. "There was something that Shawn when you went back to your apartment to call 911…he was feeling guilty about not being home and I told him I was glad he wasn't because he could have been hurt too and he said that they could have killed me….I can't help but think…"

"Thinking what?" Eli prompted when Jon trailed off.

"If you guys hadn't of turned up when you did then I don't know if they would have stopped…" He ran a hand down his face. "The second they saw me, they started throwing punches and I didn't stand a chance at fighting back once I was on the floor…"

"They wanted to hurt you…And that's why the police thinks this is personal." He guessed.

"Yeah but again, there is no one that I've upset or anything…" Jon argued. "No, the only thing I can think of that make sense is they were inexperience and panicked when they realized someone was home…Turned to violence when they thought they might get caught."

"I guess…" Although Eli couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this.

"Listen; don't say anything about this to Shawn…" Jon asked him. "I don't want him worrying anymore then he already is…"

"Course I won't…" Eli agreed easily. "But what about you?"

"Me?"

"Have you thought about talking to someone?"

"What? Like a therapist?" Jon shook his head. "No, there no need…I'm fine or I will be once I get this cast off my arm and I get back to normal…"

"Well, just think about it, okay?" Eli suggested. "And you know I'm always here if you need someone to talk to…"

"I do know and I don't think I've said it yet but thanks for everything you've done the last couple of weeks…"

"Hey, don't mention it…It's what friends do…" Eli claimed and reached for the brown bags. "Now, lunch?"

Jon took the bag that was held out to him but then paused and looked up at him. "You took this food from my apartment, didn't you?"

"It's the thought that counts, right?" Eli just grinned at him, pulling out a sandwich as Jon sighed and shook his head.

"Hey, Shawn…" Cory greeted, seeing his friend leaning against the lockers just outside of Turner's classroom door. "There you are…I thought you were meeting me for lunch…"

Shawn looked up and moved away from the door, worried that the two men inside might hear them if he didn't. "Yeah, I was just coming now…"

"Did you talk to Turner?"

"What?"

"You said you need to speak to him about something before lunch…" Cory explained, frowning. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sure…Jon was just busy…I'll talk to him later." He claimed walking down the corridor, leaving Cory to follow him. "Come on, let's get some lunch…"

Shawn spent the rest of the lunch break and math's class that followed thinking about what he overheard Jon and Eli talking about. He couldn't believe that Jon was considering moving because him…So, that he could have somewhere safe and stable to go.

He realized things hadn't been perfect sailing living with his teacher; Jon didn't always handle things right but he was trying to do his best and Shawn knew he didn't always show his appreciation for that.

He couldn't help but think of his own family. His mother left without saying goodbye and his father followed her without a second thought about him. Then there was rest of his family at the trailer park. None of them stepped forward and offered Shawn a place to stay. Not when his parents first left and not when he miserable at the Matthews.

He thought about the run in he had with Eddie a few weeks back and how he threatened to turn him into the police to protect Cory. He began to wonder whether that had anything to do with the break in. Eddie was angry with him and he had a history of robbery. It was all beginning to make sense… Jon had said himself that there was no one that he had upset enough to who would want revenge but what if the police were right and it was personal, except it was Shawn they were trying to get back at.

By the time the bell rang at the end of class, Shawn was feeling a mixture of anger and guilt. If Eddie was involved then he knew that it was likely other members of his family were too or at least knew about it. He wasn't about them to get away with it, especially after everything Jon had done for him.

"Hey, Cory!" He called out when he spot his friend and ran down the corridor, pushing other students out the way. "Cory…"

"Hey…" Cory turned to look at him when he finished stuffing a text book into his bag. "What's up?"

"I need a favor…" Shawn said, a little out of breath. "I told Jon that I was going to your house for dinner tonight…"

Cory nodded a little. "Okay, cool…I'll let my Mom know…"

"No, Cor I'm not really coming for dinner."

"Then why did you tell Turner you were?"

"Just cover me, okay?"

"Shawn." Cory reached out and stopped him walking away. "What's going on?"

"There is just somewhere I need to be." Shawn told him, pulling out of his grip. "It's no big deal…"

"But…"

"I'll see you later…"

Cory watched him stride off back down the corridor and sighed before heading to his last class of the day.

 _ **XxXxX**_

"Hey, Shawnie…" His Uncle Mike greeted him with a wide smile when he stepped into the repair shop.

"Uncle Mike, where's Eddie?" He had searched the places his half-brother hung around at the trail park but he was nowhere to be found.

"Eddie?" Mike put the car parts he had been working on down to give his nephew his full attention. "What do you need with Eddie?"

"I need to talk to him…"

"Shawnie, I heard about what happened between you two the last time…"

"Yeah and that why I need to talk to him…" Shawn claimed. "If he thinks he can come after my friends to get back at me…"

"Shawn…"

"I'll go to the police, Uncle Mike…I swear to god, I will." Shawn threatened.

"The police?" Mike repeated, confused. "What has he done?"

"The apartment I'm staying at got broken into…" Shawn told him. "Break-ins and stolen goods are what Eddie does, right?"

"But Shawn, you're family." Mike stated. "We look after our own…"

"Family?" Shawn laughed a little. "Where was my family when I was homeless?"

"Shawnie, you Dad said you're really happy living with the Professor…" Mike replied, remembering the time he met Jon himself. "And I like him…He's a funny guy."

"Yeah, he is…and he took me in when I had no one." Shawn added. "He didn't deserve what happened to him, Uncle Mike…I know how this trailer park works, I know not much goes on without you knowing about it either so if you know anything…"

"I've heard nothing about a robbery." Mike claimed. "But what was taken? I'll ask around for you…"

"They didn't take anything…"

Mike frowned. "What kinda robbery is it if nothing is taken?"

"Jon was home and they beat him up, Uncle Mike." Shawn told him, running a hand through his hair. "They broke his arm and gave him a concussion…That's why I can't let them get away with this."

Mike reached out and put a comforting hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I'll ask around for you, Shawn but I really think you're wrong about Eddie being involved."

"Thanks, Uncle Mike…" Shawn replied a little dejected.

He actually believed him when he said he didn't know anything about the break in. He had always been close with his Uncle Mike and could always tell when he was lying or up to something. He had been hoping he would get some proof that Eddie was behind this so they could all move on but what if his Uncle Mike was right and he wasn't involved?

Was there really someone else out there targeting Jon or him?

 **TBC**

 **Dun, dun, daaa….Okay, so any guesses about what's going on? Please let me know what you think!**


End file.
